The Jevtić family from Rajanovce near Kosovska Kamenica, can produce around 50 kilograms of goat cheese each month. They have a herd, the knowledge and the willingness to work, but they do not have a reliable market for their products. A stable market for their cheese would mean a more secure income and the opportunity for the family to make a living from what they produce themselves.
“If only we had a permanent market and knew where we stood.”
That is how Časlav Jevtić answers when we ask what would mean the most to his family today.
In their yard in Rajanovac, they keep around fifteen goats, along with chickens, turkeys and pigs. They make both fresh and aged goat cheese and can produce around 50 kilograms a month.
The Problem Is Not Production, but Sales.
People occasionally come and buy two or three kilograms. Sometimes they sell more, sometimes less. They mostly give away the whey because there are no buyers for it.
What they lack is the certainty that there will be someone to buy what the family produces each month.
From a Few Goats to Their Own Production
The Jevtić family has been gradually developing their household for years. Starting with four goats they once received with the help of kind people, they managed to build a herd of around fifteen animals.
To support them in continuing to expand their production, the Humanitarian Organization “Kosovsko Pomoravlje” recently donated another goat and a buck.
Časlav Has Not Forgotten the Help He Received in the Past.
“There’s no point pretending otherwise. People from Serbia have helped me with all of this in one way or another.”
But what would make the biggest difference today and provide the family with a more dignified life and a stable income is the ability to sell their products regularly.
We Didn’t Start from Zero, but from Below Zero
Časlav was born in Rajanovce. He lived in central Serbia for a while, but after his father passed away, he returned home because his mother was left alone.
“I was born here, I grew up here, I went to school here. I don’t have a house in Serbia, I don’t have a plot of land.”
His wife Marijana came from Albania, and together they began their life in very difficult circumstances.
“In a word, we didn’t start from zero. We started below zero.”
They built their house through their own hard work and with donations from foundations and people who were there to help them. Today, their daughters Vera and Anđela are growing up there. They help with the animals and household and know how to milk a goat and make cheese.
After suffering a severe heart attack, Časlav has five stents and takes regular medication, so he cannot exert himself too much. He does not have his own transportation, which means that even a trip to the doctor can sometimes be a significant expense.
When we ask whether the family’s current income is enough to cover their needs, he says:
“No. The children are the ones who go without the most. We are adults after all, but the children are the ones who suffer the most.”
Still, when he talks about his daughters, he adds:
“They are understanding. They know when there isn’t enough. And when there is, they know how to appreciate it and be grateful.”
A reliable market would mean a more secure income for the Jevtić family in Rajanovce. They know their work and are not afraid of it. They have goats. They produce milk. They make around 50 kilograms of goat cheese every month. They work the land and want to expand what they have built.
What They Need Is a Reliable Market!
If they knew that most of their production would be sold each month, they could plan their income, continue growing their herd, more easily cover medical expenses and their children’s education, and gradually build a more secure life through their own work.
“To know that we have a permanent market and to know where we stand.”
Supporting families who make a living from their own work matters most when that support comes in the right way – by addressing the problems they actually face and creating long-term solutions.
The Jevtić family has already done its part. Starting with just a few goats, they built a herd and created a product they can offer.
Now, what matters most is helping their cheese find a reliable path to customers, so that Vera and Anđela can have good opportunities for their education and their father can have one less thing to worry about.
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